Though the Rays made a few minor moves last week, acquiring outfielder Brett Phillips from the Royals and reliever Cody Reed from the Reds, the club decided to mostly stand pat at Monday’s Trade Deadline.

The Rays entered Monday’s game against the Yankees with a 3 1/2-game lead over New York, making them clear buyers during the unique Deadline. Over the last week, the Rays were looking to add pitching depth -- both in the rotation and in the bullpen -- and also had discussions about adding a catcher, especially once Mike Zunino landed on the 10-day injured list with an oblique issue on Friday.

But as they’ve done in the past, the Rays weren’t going to make a move unless it made sense financially and didn’t hurt the long-term outlook of the organization. With the expanded postseason in 2020, the options were limited for the Rays, despite all of the conversations leading up to Monday’s Deadline.

• Here is every Trade Deadline deal

“There aren’t that many teams that are truly out of it,” said Rays general manager Erik Neander. “Because the supply was a bit limited, you start going down more creative paths that are usually more beneficial to you and another club that are both competing for the postseason, and those are a little harder to find common ground, and ultimately nothing materialized.”

Despite not making any major deals on Monday, the Rays feel confident about their additions of Phillips and Reed, especially since both are under contract for multiple seasons. Phillips is still waiting to undergo intake testing, but the outfielder will give the Rays another stellar defender who can play all three outfield spots. Reed joined the team on Monday and will be used, especially against tough left-handed hitters.

“I think we’re going to use him in a similar role to what maybe we envisioned Jalen [Beeks] in at the beginning of the season, kind of in that two-inning role,” said Rays manager Kevin Cash. “More than anything, we got a guy that we think is pretty talented.”

Trading away José Martínez to the Cubs (Sunday) and left-hander Anthony Banda to the Giants (Monday) was also another attempt to try to make the roster more functional. Martínez had become strictly a designated hitter against left-handed pitching, which was blocking opportunities for some young players such as Randy Arozarena, who made his team debut on Sunday and led off on Monday. With Martínez gone, the Rays have a bit more flexibility on the position-player side.

“That was a situation where we really like José and appreciate him on the field and what he does in the clubhouse,” Neander said. “But this is a 60-game season and we had several players in Port Charlotte that had been knocking on the door, and at some point, you have to find different ways to create opportunities for those guys.”

Overall, the biggest reason the Rays didn’t make a major move, according to Neander and Cash, is because of the belief that their best “acquisitions” will come from within. Over the next week, the Rays are expecting Charlie Morton, Oliver Drake, Nick Anderson and Ryan Yarbrough to return from the injured list, which should help as immediate improvements to the roster.

Morton is expected to start on Wednesday against the Yankees after missing three weeks with right shoulder inflammation, while Drake, Anderson and Yarbrough could all rejoin the team during the next homestand. When the Rays add those four players to a team that posted an AL-best 24-11 record through 35 games, the organization believes it is a legitimate World Series contender.

“We’ve said consistently that our best deals are going to be with getting good health and getting guys back,” said Cash. “If we can get some of these guys back, we should be in a pretty good spot.”